Jennifer Newcomb

Jennifer provides strategic and practical advice as well as a wealth of advocacy experience from the early stage of investigations through to trials and appeals against conviction and sentence.

She accepts instructions to prosecute and defend any case with a corporate or financial crime focus: she is on the SFO Advocate’s A Panel, the CPS Advocate’s Panel, Level 4, and its Fraud Specialist Panel, Level 4. She acts for the Financial Conduct Authority. She is a regular contributor to and commentator in the Lloyd’s Law Reports: Financial Crime.

Jennifer has significant experience appearing in multi-handed trials of considerable length, involving conspiracy to defraud, frauds by false representation, abuse of position and money laundering (through innocent and knowing launderers), including evidence from assisting offenders pursuant to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and the movement of money over international borders.

She is able to provide strategic advice on the approach to disclosure in complex cases involving overseas investigations, LPP issues, third parties, numerous electronic devices and other electronic sources of material.

Notable Cases

R v S&B (Global Forestry Investments) – Southwark Crown Court
Junior prosecuting counsel, instructed by the Serious Fraud Office. Five year conspiracy to defraud 2,000 investors and pensioners in 3 separate forestry investment schemes, as well as misconduct in the course of winding up a company. The SFO’s worldwide investigation stretched from Brazil, to the UAE to Mauritius and involved very significant tracing of funds. Convictions came at the conclusion of a 3-month trial at Southwark Crown Court and the Defendants received a total of 22 years in prison.

R v MF & others – Snaresbrook Crown Court
Junior prosecuting counsel, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, significant laundering of the money thereafter, through both innocent and knowing launderers. Six Defendants in the dock, main protagonists convicted after trial.

R (Operation Veil) v MF & others - Snaresbrook Crown Court
Junior prosecuting counsel on behalf of HMRC (led by James Thacker, instructed by the specialist fraud division of the CPS). MF and one other unanimously convicted after a 6-week trial of their leading role in an organised crime group, being knowingly concerned in smuggling with intent to evade excise duty. Judge took a ‘very conservative’ estimate of the total duty evaded as being in excess of £1 million. Each was sentenced to 5 years 9 months’ in prison.

R v TS – Inner London Crown Court
Sole prosecuting counsel of fraud by abuse of position (bank teller) and procurement thereof by third party. Bank teller pleaded guilty and gave evidence against TS at trial, pursuant to s73 SOCPA. TS convicted after trial and sentenced to 3 years in prison.

R v LT & Others - Central Criminal Court
Junior prosecuting counsel (led by Tim Godfrey), prosecuting 6 Defendants on a 19 count indictment including fraud by abuse of position and acquiring criminal property. The trial ended in a number of convictions and suspended sentences of imprisonment.

R v MA - Blackfriars Crown Court
Junior prosecuting counsel (led by Tim Godfrey). Six week trial and 10 count indictment where multiple victims defrauded of at least
£600,000. Fraud by abuse of position (MA was a carer with powers of attorney); removing criminal property. The case involved overseas investigations; financial analysis of numerous bank accounts (UK and Jamaican); examination in court of financial investigator/witnesses via live link; spreadsheets and diagrams drafted for jury. A key witness was an Alzheimer’s sufferer who gave evidence with the assistance of an intermediary. Defendant convicted of 9 counts on the indictment and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.

R (Operation Crystal) v R & Others
Second prosecuting counsel (led to Rosina Cottage KC) in these 14 handed conspiracies to defraud the DWP’s Access to Work scheme. Majority of defendants profoundly deaf. Jennifer drafted both the Disclosure Management Document for court and defence and Disclosure Guidance Document for disclosure officers. Many thousands of pages of electronic, hard copy and third party material. 11 defendants convicted.

Reviews

Chambers UK 2023: Financial Crime - Band 4

"Jennifer is very hard-working and a pleasure to work with. She has a can-do attitude and is across the detail of the case."  Chambers UK (2023)

"Jennifer is absolutely outstanding. She can produce an excellent product and her legal submissions are clean and very well stated." Chambers UK (2023)